Richard Kauffman

Lecturer in the Practice of Management; Chairman of Energy & Finance for New York, Office of Governor Andrew M. Cuomo

Richard Kauffman joined the administration of Governor Andrew M. Cuomo as New York State’s first “energy czar” in February of 2013. In this capacity, Mr. Kauffman is responsible for developing and advancing the Governor’s ambitious plan to create a cleaner, more resilient and affordable energy system. Mr. Kauffman oversees and manages New York State’s entire energy portfolio, including the New York State Department of Public Service, the New York Power Authority, the Long Island Power Authority, and the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA). He was appointed chair of NYSERDA’s board in June 2013.

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Mr. Kauffman leads New York State’s comprehensive Reforming the Energy Vision (REV) initiative. REV includes groundbreaking regulatory reform to fundamentally restructure the energy and utility industry, an unprecedented ten-year commitment to support local renewable energy and efficiency markets through the creation of the Clean Energy Fund, and other bold initiatives such as NY Green Bank and the pioneering $1 billion NY-Sun solar program.

Prior to joining the administration, Mr. Kauffman worked in energy and finance at some of the nation’s highest levels, most recently serving as Senior Advisor to Secretary Steven Chu at the U.S. Department of Energy. In his private sector career, he was Chief Executive Officer of Good Energies, Inc., a leading investor in clean energy technologies, a partner of Goldman Sachs where he chaired the Global Financing Group, and vice chairman of Morgan Stanley’s Institutional Securities Business and co-head of its Banking Department.

Mr. Kauffman has served as Chairman of the Board of Levi Strauss & Co., as well as on the boards of several organizations, including the Brookings Institution and the Wildlife Conservation Society. He is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations.

Mr. Kauffman earned a bachelor’s degree from Stanford University, a master’s degree in international relations from Yale University, and a master’s in public and private management from the Yale School of Management.